City Issues Request for Proposal for Pound and Shelter Services

The City of Greater Sudbury has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to procure Pound and Shelter Services for stray, surrendered or quarantined dogs and cats. Submissions are welcome from all suppliers who meet provincially legislated requirements for property and facilities to properly handle and care for animals and who meet the requirements of the municipal RFP available at www.greatersudbury.ca/tenders

“Greater Sudbury Council has adopted a model for municipal pound and shelter services that ensures the well-being of animals and encourages responsible pet ownership,” said Caroline Hallsworth, Executive Director of Administrative Services. “Our objective is to reunite dogs and cats with their owners whenever possible and to promote adoption or fostering of animals by building strong partnerships with the successful service provider and a well established and active animal welfare and rescue community.”

Municipal pound and shelter services must be “Low Kill”, meaning every reasonable effort must be taken to reunite dogs and cats with their owners or to foster and adopt animals.

Service providers will receive payment from the City of Greater Sudbury for each animal in their care during a provincially legislated three day redemption period, not including the day the animal was admitted and statutory holidays. After three days, dogs and cats may be fostered or adopted. Service providers will continue to retain all fees for adoption following the three day holding period, providing further incentive to reduce the length of stay of each animal in the shelter.

Proposals will be accepted for service to the entire city or for service to smaller zones to give providers of all sizes an opportunity to bid on the contract. Under the Request for Proposal process, the selection of a service provider is based on an evaluation against set criteria, rather than price alone.

The City of Greater Sudbury will move forward this summer with plans to revise its Animal Control by-law in consultation with community stakeholders. Revisions will consider language that promotes responsible pet ownership. Enforcement of the by-law will become the sole responsibility of the municipality, effective November 1, 2016.

Additional programs for the humane management of cats and dogs in the community will be introduced later this fall and winter, including a pilot program to trap-neuter-and-release feral cats and further promotion of a low-cost spay and neuter program to assist citizens with limited financial resources.

The Request for Proposal for Pound and Shelter Services will close June 17 at 1:30 p.m. For more information about the RFP process, please contact the Purchasing Division at the City of Greater Sudbury by dialing 705-674-4455, ext. 2497.

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